Chandrika Bahadur

Chandrika Bahadur is a distinguished development expert currently serving as Chief Executive Officer at the Antara Foundation, focusing on improving maternal and child health outcomes in rural India. Her illustrious career spans over two decades across multilateral institutions, foundations, and governments in more than 20 countries. As the former President of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Association and Director of the SDG Academy from 2014-2022, she built a global network of over 1,700 universities and reached more than 800,000 learners worldwide through innovative educational initiatives. Her earlier roles include helping establish Reliance Foundation as advisor to the Chairman at Reliance Industries, and serving as Policy Advisor at UNDP's Bureau for Development Policy, where she worked across 20 African countries aligning national strategies with the Millennium Development Goals. Her academic credentials include a Master's in Public Administration and International Development from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, and a BA in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University. She has shared her expertise through teaching positions at Harvard, Columbia University, and various prestigious institutions while currently chairing the Lancet COVID-19 Commission India Task Force.